Kristy Jett - Super Dork - Discussing the Popcorn DVD Release and Documentary, Fright Rags, San Diego Comic Con and her New Project - Read it Here First! :)

Kristy Jett is one hell of a force to be recognined with.  Not only is she an amazing writer, she is also one chick that you don’t want to fuck with.  A point that was proven like a hefty kick from a steel toe capped Dr Martin boot to the balls as “festival organiser” John Gray discovered.  Basically Gray was responsible for organising a Friday the 13^th mega reunion/festival, one that would pretty much bring together anyone and everyone from the whole Friday the 13^th series.  This never happened though and after taking the money, time and time again he came up with excuses as to why it had been rescheduled/cancelled and why individuals were having such a wretched time getting their money back.   Kristy caught wind of this and decided to take matters into her own hands to make sure that fans weren’t left with a completely bitter taste in their mouths…with no help from John Gray!

Now Kristy, I really have to applaud you for this, I mean you saw how upset people were with this whole schebang and despite the fact you had nothing to do with it, you took it upon yourself to make sure that the fans weren’t left empty handed at the end of the day.  You really are a wee bit fab!  How does it feel knowing that you have helped support your fellow Friday the 13^th fans, and also probably scared the crap out of anyone considering pulling a trick like this in the future?!     

Thank you for saying such sweet things! When I first heard about this guy and how essentially as soon as someone called him out on what he did he just harassed them until they sunk off into the night, I knew something had to be done. I really didn’t know that anything I would do could make a difference. And believe me when it started everyone told me there was no point- it would go on forever. It felt like it would too haha. But I just kept digging. The only thing I did that no one did before me was bring all of the facts on Gray together and put them in one place for everyone to see.  That brought all of the fans/victims together in the same place. At that point all I did was empower them to file cases with the attorney general and keep pushing, not to give up. I can’t take credit for them doing what was inside of them all along, they just needed reassurement. I couldn’t be more elated that the attorney general and FBI are investigating Gray. All along he has been so arrogant making it clear if he was backed into a corner he would file bankruptcy and not owe anyone a dime. He somehow missed the fact that he was committing fraud and even if he monetarily never pays a red cent, he will pay criminally…hopefully with his freedom.

Now speaking about Friday the 13^th, the arrival of Tommy Jarvis in Part 4 introduced the viewers to one of the geekiest characters to ever appear in the slasher-movie’verse!  Fuck Randy from Scream (no offence Wes!) but Corey Feldman’s portrayal of a young Tommy Jarvis is that of a true horror nut…and future Tom Savini!  Lol, right Kristy you really are a total nerd-o-rama!  I was pretty sure that Jarvis was based on Savini but just went to double check and guess what article came top of the search engine….YOURS!!!  Specifically THIS one!  For those of you too lazy to actually click on the link and see exactly what article I’m referring too (just bloody well read it already, ha!), this is what I just nabbed from the article written by Kristy - “the character was in fact based on Savini, who returned to the franchise in Part 4 to effectively kill the monster he created in Part 1.” (Picture below - Kristy with Part 5's Reggie the Reckless)

Anyhoo, what is it that you most love about this character?  And did this love continue in Parts 5 and 6 when Tommy was older (and not Corey!) or was there just something about the super nerdtastic 12 year old that made you feel that little bit more like yourself?

I am a sucker for recurring characters in Horror sequels, mainly because it’s so unheard of. I have been in love with the character of Tommy Jarvis since Corey Feldman, it amplified with John Shepherd as Tommy in part 5 (my favorite) but it went over the top as one of my favorite actors of all time, Thom Mathews played him in part 6.  I felt for Tommy, I mean think about it, he lost his carefree childhood because of Jason. We see him going from a little nerd to having to defend his life against and then kill Jason. We meet up with him in part 5 and here he is a troubled teen at a halfway house, still a prosthetics nerd, but battling his inner demons. Throughout the film we’re even unsure if he is the “new” Jason or not! Then when we get to part 6 we’re no longer worried that Tommy is a danger to us, and we’re ready to watch him end Jason. To reclaim the sanity in his life once and for all. It’s such an amazing character arc, especially to be found in a slasher series! In my dreams, one day I get to write the new FT13th reboot and it’s all about Tommy Jarvis coming back once and for all to defeat Jason….and Thom Mathews stars! (Picture below - Kristy with Thom Mathews and their illegitimate child!) 

Out of all of the Friday the 13^th’s, what are your top 5 deaths? :)

Christ, that’s a tough one. Ok, I am not going to sit and think about it, I will just think of the first 5 that come to mind.  :)

In random order…

- Love machete to the face of wheelchair guy in Part 2…see what happens when you play electronic football?!

- Crispin Glover screaming about the corkscrew in that nasally voice and then getting it through his hand and a machete to the face.

- Tommy Jarvis hacking Jason up in Part 4, Feldman is so classic in that scene.

- Watching poor Violet meet her end a few moments after her amazing dance scene in Part 5! Maybe I like the dancing more than the death though…

- Love Jason getting it at the end of part 6…I do love my Thom Mathews. :) (Picture below - Thom Matthews as Tommy Jarvis in Friday the 1th Part 6)

What was your first step onto this glorious blood red brick road of awesomeness that you happen to find yourself on right now, where did Miss Kristy Jett start out? (Picture below - Kristy with Friday the 13th (2009)'s Jason Voorhees, Derek Mears)

When I was a kid I saw The Evil Dead at far too young an age, but it was all for the best! I have been watching Horror since I was age 3. My parents worked a lot and my sister would let me watch whatever. My mother never liked that I watched the stuff, but she always explained to me that it wasn’t real. I think that gave me a better basis than other kids that age who just get plopped down in front of a tv with no explanation. Horror has been my lifeblood for as long as I can remember!

How did you come about working for Fright Rags?  Plus what is your favourite tee that you guys have done to date, what is one tee that you would love to do?  I absolutely love my C.H.U.D and I Drink Your Blood/I Eat Your Skin ones.  The one I HAVE to get though is the Sleepaway Camp: Unhappy Campers one.  My friend Mac never lets me forget that he has this tee and I don’t!  It’s not fair! *throws little hissy fit* ;)  Yous have got it back in a small now though so I WILL get it, heehee! (Picture below - Kristy at a Fright Rags stand with the legend that is John Landis)

I met my boss, Ben Scrivens (creator/owner of Fright Rags) at a Convention in 2008. I had no idea we lived in the same town! It started out as me constantly bugging him to help him out. A few months later I joined the Fright Rags table at the next Convention, where I proceeded to outsell all of the boys together and Ben promptly officially hired me. My persistence is what got me the job. Essentially I am the “Girl Friday”, I handle customer service, administrative duties, promotion, and I go to all of our Conventions. I do a little bit of everything!

My absolute favorite tee is a parody mashup called Bogus (see picture above). It’s a The Monster Squad and Night of The Creeps dealie and if you look at the tombstones on the bottom of the shirt you can see my last name is on one of them, that makes me entirely biased, but I don’t care, it’s a brilliant shirt! My dreams are coming true…we are doing an original Popcorn shirt…and a Wizard Master shirt eventually…le sigh…. 

Right, so one of my favourite movies that have come out in the past wee while has been Paul (pictured right), starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost…two of the UK’s greatest geeks/X Philes/horror nerdoid’s!  You know, I remember when Spaced (the first time these two dorks got their thang on!) aired, I was at University and always remembered watching Spaced when I was in Halls of Residence.  I loved these guys from the get go and I remember when Shaun of the Dead first came out, when I tried to explain it to people coming into my cinema that it was the guys who did Spaced who had made this movie, 99% of them were fucking retarded as to who I actually meant!  This did not impress me AT ALL!  Anyhoo, getting off subject, these two nerds were a refreshing breath of air to both British Film and TV.  Hell, they made my inherenly geeky self proud to be British!  Anyhoo, to cut a long story short…the story of these two nerds in Paul, isn’t just a story in a Greg Mottola movie, it’s the story of these two nerds that I have been following since 1999 on their beautiful GAY love fest of a road trip.  The kind of road trip I have wanted to make for as long as I’ve been watching these pair!  That road trip my people, is that of the one that leads to San Diego Comic-Con!

Kristy, this year I want to geek out there even more, that is because I know that both you and the lovely Lianne Spiderbaby are both going to be there as press for the event, representing Fangoria!  How did this come about and what are you most excited for?  And more to the point, have you ever been there before?

I owe everything Fangoria related to the amazing Rebekah Frye McKendry. She is the reason for all of this. I owe Bekah most of my print career. She got my foot in the door and that has made all the difference. She’s the one who forced my way into the SDCC group haha. I have never been and I guarantee I will never go again. I kid! But I am secretly worried that I won’t be able to handle the crowd! I am excited to meet Todd Farmer. I made him promise to stop by the Fangoria table for high-fives. He’s a big Fright Rags fan and it’ll be awesome to meet him in person finally since I love his last two flicks- My Bloody Valentine 3D and Drive Angry.

I am just excited at attending the nerd mecca! I hope Sam Raimi shows up and recognizes me from how often I gush about him and asks me to move into his house and nanny his children…I’d do it. (Picture above - Kristy shows her love for The Evil Dead with the ladies of The Evil Dead)

We all have our idols, people who if we actually met, we’d be a bit of a nervous bumbling fool in front of.  Who is the one person, who if you met, you would look like the least cool person ever in front of…just because you’d instantly turn into a nervous rambling idiot in front of them?!

Sam Raimi (pictured right) no doubt. I have no idea if I’d cry or lost all control in my knees first. It will be an experience when I meet him, for sure. :) 

Now let’s speak about your biggest passion of the moment and that would be the release of 1991 movie Popcorn on DVD.  For this release you are also working on a retrospective documentary, a documentary for the ultimate Popcorn fan!  It’s pretty fucking cool that you’re doing this, your nerdiness knows no boundaries!  This is obviously going to be a lot of hard work, enjoyable of course but hard work all the same.  So what exactly do you have planned for this and when do you hope to have a release date for the DVD.  Plus, what can us as fans do to help?

The battle to get this film re-released has been going on for about 2 years now, but the past 8 months is when things have really heated up. The plan is to have a beautiful new transfer, maybe even Blu Ray! The release date we have in mind is March of 2012, it’s tentative but if things keep going the way they are it should happen! The biggest way fans can help is by contributing to our IndieGoGo campaign. This is to help us finance the retrospective doc and other special features! We have so much planned I can’t even begin to tell you!

http://www.indiegogo.com/Help-Fund-the-Retrospective-Doc-and-Special-Features-for-the-Popcorn-DVD

  

For those out there who have never seen the movie, what would you say to them and why do you think they should see it?

One thing a lot of people don’t know is that his was primarily a Bob Clark project (Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things, Black Christmas, Deathdream). Even though he technically walked on directing he stayed on set and helped Mark Herrier through his directorial debut. The film is such an homage to the William Castle school of cinema. It’s a fun romp that takes the typical slasher flick and makes it into a campy meta-film that everyone should see at least once in their life! (Picture below - Kristy with Popcorn's Jill Schoelen)

Which character do you most relate to in Popcorn and why?

Hmmmm…probably Joanie. I am always the sassy girl in love with the nerd, so it makes sense haha.

What else can we expect to see/hear from you in the future, what would you like to accomplish next after Popcorn is finished…any plans as of yet?  You are a brilliant writer, have you ever thought about writing a screenplay…perhaps you even have one tucked away in your socks drawer right now!?

I do have a screenplay I am working on! I am working on this one idea that has been milling around in my brain for years, plus John Squires (Freddy In Space) my brother from another mother and I are working on a script that is a total tribute to the Horror community. It’s more of a comedy than anything.

Other than my screenwriting, I have other re-release and documentary ideas. Once Popcorn is completed, my next venture is a documentary on Stephen King’s IT. I am breaking that information here, I haven’t gone public with it yet. :) (Picture below - Kristy with IT director Tommy Lee Wallace)

And last but by far not least, just how awesome is Bahnick (Adam Barnick for those not in the cool club…or should I say FAN CLUB!) in real life?  Is he a bit of a lightweight when it comes to drinking, could we girls drink him under the table? ;)  Heehee. 

One thing that I don’t know if I say enough, is that Adam Barnick is such a brilliant man. Not just his filmmaking, but him in general. Over the past few months we have become closer friends and I could just sit and listen to him for hours-and have haha. He is going to go so far in this business, and in life too. He has such a good head on his shoulders. I really feel like he’s one of the few people who “gets it”, ya know?

As far as what kind of a drinker he is, I wish I could say, the one time he and I were drinking at the same time I was tipsy and I started hitting on him. Needless to say I came off like an ass, but that goes to show you how great he is- he has never judged me on it. Or if he has, he’s hid it well.

All around though, Adam Barnick is the kind of person that young filmmakers should pay attention to. He does deserve a fan club, and I will gladly commandeer it!